Stolen Watch

[snowyday]

Most men who have reached high places in public life have at least a few amusing,

if embarrassing, incidents in their back-grounds. The man who was known as “The

Plumed Knight,†for instance, James G. Blaine, used to tell of an incident when he was

a young lawyer and defended a tramp who had been accused of stealing a watch.

Blaine believed the man had been unjustly accused and he put every bit of sincerity in

his makeup into his plea to the jury. The man was acquitted.

And immediately after the acclaim for the fine young attorney had quieted a bit, the

tramp, tears streaming down his face, whispered: “Mister, I ain’t cried since I wuz a kid.

I only wish I had the money to pay you—but I ain’t got a dime. But listen—if you’ll

come out in the hall where nobody can see us, I’ll give you the watch.

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